A Journey of a Thousand Miles
by Acolyte of the Quill
Summary: Katrina Inman is like most other trainers, and certainly nothing special, at least not yet. Join her on her journey through the Kanto Region. catching Pokemon and challenging Gym Leaders on her way to the Indigo League. Note: This story is being deleted, however, I'm going to upload a different story with a similar plot, if you care.
1. A Single Step

**Chapter One**

Muted sunlight filtered down on the picturesque village of Pallet Town. Low clouds hung over the settlement like a gray, ethereal ceiling, threatening to unleash one of the violent, but short-lived downpours the peninsula was known for. As the wind whipped the leaves of the trees into a gentle, whispering orchestra, a lone figure stood outside perhaps the most unique building in the town. It sat alone on top of a grassy knoll, with a sprawling expanse of fenced in terrain behind it. Fixed atop the flat roof were a number of satellites and antennae.

Anxiously, the figure, a ten year old girl named Katrina, paced in front of the door, thoroughly worrying that the rain would come before anyone else was there to open the door. Not that she really minded the rain, but that was one day that she didn't have any aspirations of spending drenched.

The wind whipped her mousy brown hair in a flurry about her as the new sneakers her mother had given her that morning crunched on the gravel. Kat was grateful that she'd chosen to wear her favorite mint-green sweatshirt, as it kept her torso pleasantly warm. Her legs on the other hand, were provided slightly less insulation by her khaki shorts.

She looked up with a start as she heard another pair of shoes crunching on the gravel path. Kat quickly recognized the figure as the boy who served as both her childhood friend and rival, Gary Oak, Junior. He was the spitting image of his father in his youth, reddish-brown hair sticking up at odd angles. To Kat, it always looked like he'd just gotten out of bed. She couldn't help but smile when she saw there similar choices in fashion, the only differences being Gary's sweatshirt was black instead of green and his khakis were full length. It occurred to Kat that this was probably a result of them having discussed and thought out every aspect of their journeys together, including what would be the most practical attire for a stretch of time that could be anywhere from several months, to over a year.

Kat was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Gary's voice say, " Hey Kit-Kat."

Kat cleared the ground by a good inch as she jumped in shock at hearing his voice, which was obviously much closer than when she'd started thinking. Whirling around and bristling in slight annoyance at the pet name, Kat found his face only inches apart from her own. She couldn't help but notice the way his blue eyes glittered, even in the soft light, and felt her expression softening uncontrollably.

Taking a step back, she found her resolve again by stomping and her right foot and balling her fists before exhibiting her dissatisfaction directly by asking, " Gary, how many times have I told you not to call me that?"

A small smirk grew on her rival's face as he saw just how much he'd gotten under her skin. A smirk which only grew when he replied with a complacent, " Significantly more times than I've listened."

At first, Kat's expression grew only more grave, but then, she felt her frown begin to falter, and her lips begin to quiver. A rumbling wracked her body as she tried to contain what was coming, but eventually, she just couldn't help but release it, and a melodious, mezzo-soprano laugh burt from within her. When she looked up, she saw that Gary was laughing too, and realized that her desperate attempts must have been hysterical to watch.

When the two pre-teens regained their composure, Kat was the one who broke the companionable silence that followed.

" So, where's your dad? Isn't a bit, I don't know, unprofessional for the _professor_ to be the one who's late?" she inquired.

" Oh no, he's been here since really early this morning, like five o'clock or something like that."

" You mean to tell me that the door was unlocked this whole time? And I've been freezing my legs off out here for nothing?"

" Well, I wouldn't say for nothing, we certainly both got a good laugh out of it, and it hasn't technically been unlocked, I have the key,", Gary twirled it around his finger by the keyring for emphasis.

Kat gave him an irritated glare before punching him in the shoulder playfully and saying, " You suck, you know that?"

" Well then, maybe I just won't let you in at all, how about that?" the younger Gary Oak sneered.

" Fine,", Kat replied, completely unfazed, " I love the rain."

" Do you really love the rain more than you'd love to start your journey? Because unless I unlock the door, you'll never get your first Pokemon."

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Kat gave him another look of pure annoyance before answering with, " Point taken, now open the door, I'm freezing."

" I don't know, I think you're pretty hot,", Gary muttered under his breath.

" What was that?" Kat inquired, Gary having spoken so softly that if she hadn't seen his lips move, she never would have known he said anything.

" I said 'I don't know, not just yet',", Gary lied.

" And just what are you waiting on then?" Kat asked.

" You have to say, 'I love Gary Oak because he's the coolest, single most amazing person I've ever met'."

Kat snickered as she'd rolled her eyes and said, " You are _such_ a child."

" Really Kit-Kat? Saying something you know is true isn't worth it to begin your journey?"

" Ugh, _fine_! 'I love Gary Oak because he's the coolest, single most amazing person I've ever met.' Are you happy now?"

" Hmm... I don't know. I don't think I really believed you."

" You're pushing your luck."

" Fine, fine,", Gary relented, sticking the silver key into the door lock, " But you owe me one."

" Hardly,", Kat said, walking through the now open portal into the laboratory.

She took a minute to look around, and was as amazed as ever at exactly what filled the space. It was the strangest, in her mind, jumble of things. Machines that felt she could never understand were crammed into the back of the space, blinking and buzzing in a seemingly incoherent, technological orchestra. Among them, the only one she even recognized was the PTS, or Pokemon Transport System, which allowed trainers to switch out their Pokemon, as well as receive any they caught and had on their person over six at a time. Then shelf after shelf of books lined the walls with covers ranging along every color she could imagine. Some of the volumes appeared to be decades while others were, most obviously, very recently printed. The entire building struck her as having a sort of strange harmony between the printed works of the old world and the metal and machinery of the new age. What caught her eye, most of all though, was a fixture that was not always brought to the forefront of anyone's attention, a simple, wooden table. It wasn't the table itself that caught Kat's eye though, it was what sat upon it; three Pokeballs, all in their enlarged size, were lined up at the front of the table, and behind them sat three gleaming Pokedexes, the high-tech, portable Pokemon encyclopedias so many coveted, along with three groups of five Pokeballs, all in their smaller size.

Gary's cry of, " Dad, we're here!" brought Kat out of her observations, but just seeing the Pokeballs, one of which held her future companion, had her adrenaline pumping.

" Ah, there you kids are,", the older of the two Gary Oaks said, emerging from a side door that was obscured by the bookcases. " Good to see you again Katrina,", Professor Oak said, after having advanced the short distance to the lab's younger occupants. " Isn't one of you missing though?"

" Alyssa,", Gary told his father.

" Ah yes, _her_. And just where would she be that's causing her to put everything on hold for the rest of us?" the professor asked.

" Probably trying to see how much of her closet she can fit into a backpack,", Kat replied, causing everyone to laugh at the thought that was too plausible.

" You know, I remember this day for me when I was your age, of course I was two years younger than you at the time, but-"

" I don't mean to interrupt Professor, but, if I may ask, why did you move the age up from ten to twelve?" Kat inquired of the older man.

" Why Katrina, Id've thought someone of your intelligence could figure it out,", the researcher replied, obviously genuinely baffled that his logic wasn't immediately apparent.

" Actually pops, I'm with her, why did you move it?" Gary offered.

Professor Oak let out heavy sigh, obviously disappointed in his son for not knowing, before he informed them that, " It's simple. I simply don't want a bunch of ten year olds running around, being responsible for my research. In fact, I wanted to wait until you were fifteen, at least, but your mothers both complained to me that that was unfair to you, so we compromised on twelve. Hopefully you don't prove to twelve isn't that mature after all."

" Oh, that makes sense,", Kat replied as the understanding of something that was really quite apparent dawned on her.

" Yes, yes it does,", Professor Oak replied. " Now that's got me to thinking though. At twelve, you really should be able to handle yourselves better, and in Alyssa's case, she's showing she certainly lacks the responsibility to be a very good trainer, so, why don't you two go ahead and choose?"

" Really?" Kat asked, taken aback at how, for seemingly the first time, an adult didn't treat Alyssa like the world revolved around her.

" Yes, really,", the professor replied.

" I don't see any problem with it,", Gary said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

" Good, good, it's settled then. So, you two, decide amongst yourselves how to choose, and each of you take a Pokedex and set Pokeballs, Alyssa will just have to accept what's left. Now, I have some important matters to attend to on the reserve, if you'll excuse me,", and with that, Professor Oak exited the room through the same side door he'd entered, and left the two pre-teens standing there, alone once again.

" So... How're we gonna do this?" Kat asked.

" Well, how about just ladies first?" Gary offered.

" Well I won't complain, but I'll give you this chance to back down now, if you want to go first, or at least have a chance to,", Kat said to him.

" No, I insist,", Gary said, taking a slight, mocking, bow.

" Well okay then,", Kat said, excitement oozing from her voice.

She walked towards the table steadily, and looked down at it. In front of each of the, occupied, Pokeballs was a small tag which named the Pokemon inside. On the left, the first tag read '_Bulbasaur_.' Thoughts of the Pokemon swirled in her head, memories and recollections of various facts and figures. She knew Bulbasaur was a grass type, not her favorite, but it was a good match up against a few of Kanto's gym leaders. It was pretty easy to raise one, and it evolved into Ivysaur, and then Venusaur, a pretty powerful Pokemon to say the least. She then turned her attention to the right hand Pokeball, in front of which the tag read '_Squirtle_.' Like with Bulbasaur, thoughts of the Pokemon bubbled up in her mind. It was a water type, which was okay in her book, and its shell was extremely hard, making it a great defensive battler. It shared these traits with both of its evolutions, Wartortle, and then finally Blastoise, who was capable of delivering one of the world's most devastating hydro pumps. But one thought rained supreme among all of them, Gary. She knew that, like his father, Gary loved Squirtle, and had heard say 'him and Squirtle' when talking about his journey. She couldn't do that to him. So, she turned her attention to the center of the table. There, the final tag read '_Charmander_.' She knew a lot about Charmander, just like the other starters. It was a fire type, very much Kat's style, which evolved into Charmeleon, and finally, Charizard, which then also made it a part flying type. The thought of soaring through the skies on a powerful Charizard very much appealed to Kat too. Given that Kat's only other option, at least in her mind, was Bulbasaur, Charmander was definitely her coice.

She felt excitement ripple through her as her hand slowly advanced towards the red and white sphere. She knew that not only was there a Pokemon within it, but also, her future. The entirety of the journey that she'd waited twelve years for, she was about to pick up, and fit in the palm of her hand. Suddenly, the entire event seemed all too serious and dramatic, and Kat had to fight to keep a snicker contained.

" Would you hurry it up already?" Kat heard Gary complain from behind her.

She turned around to address her clearly annoyed friend, " My my my, impatient, aren't we?"

Gary then noticed the Pokeball clutched in Kat's hand and regained his composure, " Well obviously you already made your choice, so get one with it already."

" Get on with what?" Kat asked in mock innocence.

" Look Kit-Kat, I know you well enough, and I know that you're dying to show off your new Pokemon, so I get on with it so I can get mine already."

A slight grin graced Kat's face as she saw her usually irritatingly calm and collected rival becoming all too flustered, and a devilish plan occurred to her.

" Well then, I guess I'll oblige."

" It took you long enough."

" Squirtle! Come on out!" Kat shouted with glee, tossing the grasped Pokeball high into the air.

She watched the sphere rotate time after time throughout its arching course, and at the same, Gary's jaw drop open in shock at what she'd said.

His hand clenched into fists before he said, " Why you little!"

" Tut, tut, tut, Gary,", Kat chided, " You should learn to look with your eyes, not just your ears."

" What're you-", Gary began, but was cut off as the Pokeball burt open at the zenith of its ascent, which was quite a height, given how tall the ceiling was.

Out from it came the telling white light of a Pokemon being released. Both of the pre-teens turned their eyes toward the spot the light had struck on the tiled floor, Gary's still holding the glowing embers of fury, while Kat's communicated nothing but a very smug mirth. As the light coalesced into a solid form, it became apparent that the Pokemon was most certainly not a Squirtle, as Kat had called. Instead, an orange, lizard-like Pokemon with a flame-tipped tail appeared, unmistakeable as anything but a Charmander.

" Char!", the Pokemon squeaked, in a high pitched, but decidedly masculine, voice.

" A- A Charmander?" Gary stammered incredulously.

" Ha! Tricker ya!" Kat said, pointing at Gary as she laughed, reveling in his confusion.

" Not very likely,", he replied, " I saw through that ruse the minute you said 'Squirtle.' You really ought to work on your poker face Kit-Kat."

" Oh honestly Gary, I applaud you, your acting skills have grown quite impressive,", Kat teased, adding in light clapping for effect.

" Fine, fine, you got me! What do you want? A medal?" Gary asked sarcastically.

" Oh, very mature. I can't imagine what you'll be like when I defeat you in a battle."

Charmander looked on at the exchange curiously, not fully comprehending what was taking place. He simply tilted his head from side to side, in turn with each of them speaking.

" Well why don't we just find out then!" Gary shouted, snatching the Pokeball off of the right side of the table behind Kat, " Go! Squirtle!"

Unlike Kat, when Gary threw his Pokeball, he aimed directly for the ground, greatly expediting the process of the ball opening. The small turtle like Pokemon emerged with a call of its own name, landing on its two feet and crossing its small arms defensively.

Terrified at the new arrival, Charmander ran towards Kat and ducked behind her right leg, peering out around it to observe what would transpire from presumed safety.

" Ha! Looks like your lizard's more of a chicken!" Gary mocked, bursting out into laughter.

Tears formed in the fiery lizard's eyes as it watched even a Squirtle, a Pokemon he had considered his friend, rolling about on its shell laughing.

" Squ- Squirtle! Re- return! This isn't even worth it!" Gary cried out, his sentence broken by laughter, as he recalled his newly obtained Pokemon.

" Gary stop it!" Kat commanded, anger surging through her body, " That sounds exactly like something Alyssa would say!"

Kat bent down and lifted Charmander off of the floor. She held him in her arms so that only his head stuck up over them, along with his short, four-clawed arms.

" You- You're right,", Gary admitted, tilting his head down in shame.

" Yes I am! You should no better than to be quite so cruel! Rivals or not, there's no excuse!"

" Alright already, I get it Kat. I'm sorry,", he apologized.

" Don't be sorry to me, it's Ferno you owe an apology to!" Kat exclaimed.

" F- Ferno?"

" Yes, Ferno. I just thought of it! It's the perfectly cute name for the perfectly cute Pokemon!" Kat said, rubbing her cheek affectionately on the Charmander's head for emphasis, " What does the name have to do with you apology anyway?"

" Haha, I like it! Well Ferno, I'm sorry,", Gary said, extending his right hand towards the small, reptilian Pokemon.

Tentatively, Ferno sniffed at Gary's hand. A silent and surprisingly tense moment passed as everyone awaited to see what the Charmander's response would be. It arrived when the Pokemon opened its mouth in a smile, revealing his four sharp fangs and gave an affirmative, " Char!"

" Well that's settled then,", Gary said, smiling.

" Look, it finally started raining,", Kat observed after turning to gaze out the window, hundred of droplets pounding on the glass.

" Well, I suppose that's a good thing,", Gary mused.

" And why's that?" Kat inquired, giving the boy a quizzical look as she turned to face him.

" Well, you know what they say about rain on your wedding day,", Gary replied, looking at Kat with a near seductive look.

At that, Kat couldn't help but laugh.

" What's so funny?" Gary asked.

" Haha, nothing. I just find it funny that you chose that expression out of all of them that you could have, you chose that one."

" Well, it's just-", Gary began to defend himself, but was unable to finish as the door burst open.

" Oh this is dreadful! Simply dreadful!" Alyssa huffed, her black, narrow-brimmed hat, adorned with a thin, white, silk ribbon, was thoroughly sodden, and her golden locks clung to her pale, heart shaped face.

" Oh, look who finally decided to show up,", Kat derided the newly arrived girl.

" Sleep in late Alyssa?" Gary asked.

" Oh, hi Gary,", Alyssa said dreamily, but her expression turned dour, her lips pursed and nose pointed up, as she addressed Kat, " Katrina."

" You know, I always thought that lots of sleep was supposed to improve someone's attitude, but it doesn't to help you at all,", Kat remarked.

" I'll have you know that I wasn't _sleeping_ Katrina, _I_ was preparing for today. Which is why I know that I'm choosing Bulbasaur,", Alyssa answered snidely.

" Well you're in luck then, considering Bulbasaur is the only left,", Gary informed her.

" What? Are you saying that you two already chose your Pokemon?" Alyssa demanded, fury evident in her tone.

" That, is exactly what he's saying,", Kat answered.

" And you didn't wait for me!"

" No, I thought that much was obvious,", Kat told the blonde.

" Well then, that just shows how dim you are Katrina, and you're polluting poor Gary over there too, considering neither of you chose Bulbasaur,", Alyssa said, recovering quickly from her outburst, and walked up to the table. Calmly she picked up Bulbasaur's Pokeball, and collected the Pokedex as well as the other, empty Pokeballs, and deposited them inside the pockets on the inside of her knee-length, flared crimson coat. The Pokeball containing Bulbasaur, on the other hand, she attached to the belt of her high-waisted, dark blue shorts. " Especially considering you chose Charmander,", Alyssa said, taking notice of the Pokemon Kat was holding for the first time. " Good choice with Squirtle though Gary,", Alyssa, beamed.

" Thanks, I wish I could say that meant something,", Gary retorted.

" Well I have no intentions of staying here any longer just to be insulted!" Alyssa exclaimed.

" Too bad for your it's raining,", Kat commented.

" Think again Katrina,", Alyssa said, gesturing to the window, which now showed a thoroughly sodden Pallet Town, but with a bright sun, still a good few hours from hitting high noon, hanging in the sky, shining brilliantly off of all the wet surfaces. " Now if you'll excuse me,", Alyssa made her way to the door, head held high in the air. As she opened the portal, a breeze blew into the laboratory, rustling Alyssa's hair and coat majestically, creating an effect even Kat had to admit was dazzling. " I hope we'll cross paths again Gary,", dreaminess in her tone again, " And Katrina, I'm going to crush you into the dirt so hard you'll come running all the way back here, crying. Toodles!" the last word she said with a high pitched giggle before dashing out of the lab, her high, black boots crunching on the gravel.

" Well, that was a unique experience,", Gary commented.

" It always is with her,", Kat added.

" Well, I guess we should probably head out too, I'd like to get to Viridian City before tonight"

" We probably should..."

" Umm, Kat, I don't know quite how to put this, but you know how we were always going to travel together?"

" Yes."

" Well, I've been thinking about it, and I think I'd rather go it alone, at least at first. Nothing personal, it's just-"

" I understand, I kind of feel the same way."

" So, I guess I'll see you around."

" Yep."

" So, should we plan on meeting up at the Pokemon Center tonight?"

" I don't think that's quite how journeys work,", Kat said with a smile, " I think fate has a lot to do with it too. So maybe we'll see each other, maybe we won't."

" Yea I guess you're right, well, I'll be seeing you,", Gary said as he walked out the still open and started towards the entrance to Route 1.

" Well Ferno, it looks like it's just you and me for now."

" Char, Char-Charmander."

" Let's see just what the Pokedex says about you though, I mean, you never can no quite enough, right?"

Kat set Ferno back on the ground with one hand as she pulled the red device out from within her sweatshirt pocket with the other. She pointed the lens at the bipedal, starter Pokemon and pressed the button.

" Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon,", an electronic, female voice began, " From the time it is born, a flame burns at the tip of its tail. Its life would end if the flame were to go out and steam is said to pour from it when it rains."

" Wow, guess we better be pretty careful around water then, huh?"

" Char!"

" Well Ferno,", Kat said, " I guess you better get back in your Pokeball." Kat extended her arm, Ferno's Pokeball clutched in her hand.

" Charmander char!" Ferno said, shaking his head.

" What? You don't want to go in the ball?"

" Charmander,", another shake.

" Well Ferno you have to! Otherwise someone could steal you really easily, or you could get hurt!"

" Charmander, Char-Char-Charmander!"

" Well... I'm sorry Ferno but it just wouldn't be responsible of me as a trainer. I promise you'll learn to like being in your Pokeball, and I'll let you out sometimes when we're on the road, or in a Pokemon Center, but someday you'll be a big, strong Charizard, and then you won't be able to fit in a lot of places, so if you get used to it now, it'll be easier later. Please tell me you understand?"

" Charmander,", Ferno said relunctantly.

" Great! I promise everything will be okay! Besides, you'll be safe in here."

Kat pressed the button on the red and white sphere, recalling her first, and thus far only, Pokemon. She watched, some what sadly, as Ferno disappeared in a burst of red light.

" Hmm, well I guess I better get going then,", Kat commented, walking out the door, which she closed behind her, and beginning to walk down the winding gravel path.

As her sneakers crunched on the material, she gazed upward at the bright blue sky, admiring the myriad of shapes the billowy white clouds formed. Some of them appeared similar to various Pokemon and structures, while others resembled nothing more than cotton balls. Eventually though, Kat grew bored just staring skyward, and her mind wandered to other topics. In the end, her thoughts settled on a curiosity about her rivals' Pokemon.

" Let's see what the Pokedex has to say on Squirtle,", Kat said as she typed in Squirtle's name to pull up the data without the Pokemon actually being present.

" Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. When it retracts its long neck within this shell it sprays a powerful burst of water."

" Hmm, that could be pretty tough to take down, especially for Ferno. Let's see about Bulbasaur though."

" Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. From birth, a strange seed is planted on its back. This seed grows along with the Pokemon."

" Wow, this Pokedex really is helpful. I wonder where Alyssa, and Gary for that matter, are by now,", Kat wondered aloud. " Oh! It looks like I'm already at the gate!" Kat looked up in surprise as she found herself at the entrance to Route 1, having been completely oblivious to walking through Pallet town and guided only by her familiarity with its layout. " Well, here goes nothing, well, actually everything. I've waited twelve years for this, and now it's finally time...", and with that, Kat stepped through the gate and onto Route 1, officially beginning her Pokemon Journey.


	2. Just Getting Started

**Chapter Two**

Kat looked around her as she walked along the Route, pushing farther along on her journey to be a Pokemon Master with every step. She had to keep remembering that. Otherwise there was a very good chance she would've fallen asleep standing up, because, thus far, Route 1 had proven to be thoroughly unexciting.

The first numerical route in Kanto was little more than a dirt path, worn bare by hundreds of pairs of feet over the years, with patches of short, scraggily grass to the sides of it, and beyond those, lightly packed forests. The only Pokemon she saw was the occasional Pidgey flying far out of reach. Kat couldn't help but hope the rest of what was sure to be a very long journey wouldn't be nearly as boring. Out of curiosity, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge when it came to Pokemon, she began looking through her Pokedex to find the page on Pidgey.

" Who knows,", she began, talking to no one but herself, " Maybe Pidgey will strike my fancy, and I'll find one that's a little bit closer."

Pressing the button, she listened attentively as her Pokedex began to talk, " Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. Often found in forests, they do not like fighting, and will produce gusts of wind to kick up sand and deter possible foes. They are known to forage for food in tall grass."

" Well, I guess that's nothing too exceptional, but there's no such thing as a bad Pokemon. Not to mention, Pidgeot's a pretty good Pokemon to boot."

Kat looked around, anxiously scanning the grass along the sides of the path for any side of the small, avian Pokemon. Although she saw nothing but vegetation, Kat refused to give in, and remained vigilant in her search. As time wore on though, her eyes grew tired of seeing nothing, but then, as she looked along the left side, she heard a rustling off to her right. Spinning around, she saw nothing but a flash of violet as a small, rodent-like Pokemon dashed off into the grass.

" Oh for the love of! The first Pokemon, other than Ferno, that's been anywhere near me since this whole thing started, and I'm looking off to the wrong side and miss it!"

" You know, you'll never catch any Pokemon that way!" a youthful male voice chided her.

" Wha- Who said that?", Kat asked, looking around frantically as she tried to find who had addressed her.

When the same voice said, " I did,", Kat quickly pinpointed it as having come from a young boy, who couldn't have been any older than eight, standing a few yards down the path.

" And just who are you?" Kat inquired haughtily, thinking to herself how her irritation at her own failure caused her to sound much more condescending than she usually did.

" Humph, looks like that blonde girl was right, you aren't a very nice person at all. Anyway, I'm Andrei, not that you really care."

" What? A blonde girl? You mean Alyssa?" Kat asked incredulously.

" I don't know, she didn't give me her life's story. She just said to be on the lookout for another girl from Pallet Town who wasn't a very good person, and so far, you fit that to a T,", Andrei replied.

" Hey, look kid, you've got it all wrong, I'm just having a bit of a rough time right now and-"

" Save it!" he shouted, " She told me all about you, and how you don't even deserve your Pokemon!"

Kat growled in annoyance, thoroughly enraged by that point at both the attitude the young child possessed, and the fact that Alyssa would stoop so low. " So what do want kid?"

" I want a battle,", he replied, drawing a Pokeball out from one of his pockets and enlarging it so it then took up most of his hand, " Because I know I can win easy-peasy, since only people who really care about their Pokemon can ever hope to win."

" Well if it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get!", Kat drew out her Pokeball, and also brought it to it's full size, " Ferno! Take to the field!"

Kat's tossed her Pokeball high into the air, where it burst open, releasing the Charmander within in a burt of white light.

" Charmander!" Ferno shrieked happily, grateful to be free of it's Pokeball.

" Ferno!" Kat called, " I know this might be our first battle together, but I know you can do it!"

" Ha! Your first battle huh? This'll be easier than I thought! Go! Rattata!" Andrei cried, throwing his Pokeball, which opened on contact with the ground, revealing a small, purple, rat-like Pokemon.

" Hmm, that looks kind of like the glimpse of a Pokemon I saw earlier,", Kat remarked as she pulled out her Pokedex and pointed it at her opponent's Pokemon.

" Rattata, the Mouse Pokemon. It is a common sight in many places with long, sharp fangs. It must continuously gnaw on hard substances to keep them at a healthy length. Rattata are known for being nimble and quick,", the device informed her.

" Hmm, looks like this could be a bit challenging, but I'm just glad it's not a water type. Or at least, I hope that's what bothered Ferno earlier. Otherwise, I could be in a tight spot already if I have a Pokemon that doesn't like to fight,", Kat commented.

" Are you going to stand around talking all day, or are you going to battle?" Andrei asked impatiently.

" What do you think Ferno, are you ready to go?" Kat asked of her companion.

" Char!" he answered with a nod, alleviating Kat's fears of him refusing to fight anything.

" Good! Then let's get this show on the road! Rattata, use Tackle!" Andrei commanded.

The purple Pokemon leapt into action, moving with shocking speed as it raced towards Ferno.

" Ferno! Dodge it and use Scratch as it runs past you!"

Not having waited for Kat to order the obvious, Ferno was already in mid-dodge, barely being missed by the attack, when it brought its four, now lightly glowing, claws down towards the much smaller Pokemon. Unfortunately for Kat, Rattata was nothing but a blur of violet fur as it broke to its right to avoid the oncoming attack, receiving only a light grazing instead of a full on rake as a result.

" Not bad, you've raised your Rattata well,", Kat complimented.

" Save it for someone who cares!" Andrei answered, " Rattata, hit Charmander with your Quick Attack!"

Amazingly, the quadrupedal Pokemon moved with even greater speed, a white trail of light emerging from behind it as it rushed towards Ferno once more.

" Dodge it Ferno!" Kat shouted.

Once again a step ahead, the reptilian Pokemon was ready by the time the order came, and attempted to leap out of the path of its speeding opponent. Sadly, with Rattata's accelerated pace, Ferno was nowhere near fast enough to get out of the way, and took a direct hit to his cream-colored stomach.

Staggering backwards under the harsh blow, Ferno only managed to prevent himself from falling by instinctively using his tail as a brace.

_This is isn't working!_ Kat thought, _To utilize Ferno to his full potential, I'm going to have to onto the offensive!_

" Rattata! Use Quick Attack again!" Andrei commanded.

In response, Rattata, having returned to stand in front of its master since its last attack, began charging across the hard-packed earth once more, leaving a cloud of dust, along with the same glowing streak as before, which marked its path.

" Ferno! Stop it with Ember!" Kat said, to which her Pokemon obliged and let loose a small breath of flame from its mouth.

The ray of flames, a beautiful, swirling combination of orange and yellow tongues, their ends tipped in crimson, shot towards the rapidly approaching normal type. Just as the two forces, charging beast and licking flames, were about to meet, Rattata broke to its right again and Kat's initial disappointment at the missed attack was replaced with exuberance as a plan formed in her mind.

" Ferno! Don't let up and sweep your Ember to your left!"

Ferno obeyed and smoothly rotated his head, cutting off any path Rattata could have taken to try and reach him. The end result was Rattata, once again, poised in front of Andrei, awaiting orders.

" Now we're right back where we started! So far, the only thing you've done is waste my time!" Andrei yelled at Kat.

" Don't worry, it'll all be over soon!" Kat gloated.

" You can count on it!" countered Andrei, not missing a beat. Even Kat had to silently applaud the younger trainer's wit.

" Ferno! Take to the attack with Scratch!" Kat commanded.

In accordance, the orange Pokemon charged towards Rattata, right claw outstretched, not nearly matching the Rat Pokemon in terms of speed, but still moving faster than one would expect.

" Ha! You haven't learned anything! My Rattata is way to fast for that to work!" Andrei said derisively as Ferno was nearly upon his fur-covered opponent.

" I wouldn't be so sure!" Kat begin with a grin, " Ferno! Turn to your left and use Ember! And give it all you've got too!"

" Char!" the Pokemon exclaimed, suddenly realizing its master's plan as it put everything it had into an Ember.

The searing flames found their mark on Rattata who, as Kat had predicted, had once again broken to its right, where Ferno's Ember had immediately hit intercepted it. The small Pokemon called out in pain as the burning blast struck home, and it dropped to the ground, thoroughly exhausted and obviously unable to continue the fight, just as the Ember attack petered out.

" Oh no! Rattata!" Andrei cried, tears forming in his eyes and quite obviously crushed as his precious Pokemon lost consiousness.

" All right Ferno! We did it! We won our first battle!" Kat exclaimed, scooping up her partner into her arms and spinning him around in joy.

" Charmander! Char-Char!" Ferno bellowed, rivaling Kat in terms of sheer joy.

Walking over to Andrei, Kat saw the young trainer was still kneeling on the ground, grieving, as he recalled the Rattata who had battled so valiantly.

" Hey Andrei! Good job!" Kat said beaming.

" Wha- What?" he asked, his eyes, reddened from crying, displaying obvious confusion.

" I said, 'good job!'" Kat repeated, continuing to smile broadly as she extended her right hand to the young trainer.

" B- But I thought you-"

" You thought I was some terrible, heartless person who only thought of Pokemon as tools?"

" Well, umm, yea..." Andrei offered tentatively.

" Well I'm not. In fact, the girl who told you that, her name's Alyssa by the way, she's a lot like that."

" She's really that bad of person?"

" Well, not really, but she gets some mixed up ideas in her head sometimes, like once, she thought our mutual friend, Gary, was in love with me, and since, then she's never been quite the same around either one of us. Unfortunately though, I think that this whole journey might be another mixed up idea in her mind,", Kat admitted.

" Oh,", Andrei said, rising to his feet as understanding dawned on him, " Just one question though."

" Shoot,", Kat encouraged.

" What does 'mutual' mean?"

Kat couldn't help but laugh at this, in both relief that Andrei obviously didn't view her as some terrible monster of a trainer anymore, and the fact that the situation just struck her as funny.

" What's so funny?" Andrei asked, furrowing his brow as he tried to puzzle out why the older girl had broken into hysterics.

" No reason,", Kat began, still giggling a little, but finally regaining her composure as she explained, " Mutual just means that he's both of our friend."

" Oh! That makes sense!" Andrei said.

" So, wanna walk with me to Viridian City?"

" Sure!" Andrei replied excitedly.

" I hope we can get there before it gets dark,", Kat commented, noticing the sun sat much lower in the sky, and high noon had come and gone long before.

" Oh definitely, we're not that far now!" Andrei told her, seemingly glad to be able to inform his senior about something.

" Do you live there?" Kat inquired as they set off down the path, Ferno, delighted not to have been recalled into his Pokeball, in tow.

" Yep! My whole life!" Andrei replied.

" That's cool! So did you catch Rattata yourself?"

" Nope, my big sister caught her for me before she left!"

" Wow, he-"

" She!"

" _She's_ really strong."

" No where near as strong as my sissy's Pokemon though."

" Not yet anyway,", Kat chuckled, " Where did your sister go?"

" The same places your going! She started her journey to be a Pokemon Master!"

" That's great! It doesn't get much better than traveling the world with Pokemon!"

" Says the girl who just started her journey today and was yelling at some wild Rattata a few hours ago,", Andrei said smugly.

" You have a smart mouth you know that? So, do you want to train Pokemon too?"

" Of course! My mom said when I'm a little older, Rattata and I can start out journey too!"

" That's great! Maybe we'll face off in the Pokemon League someday?"

" Yea! And I'll be stronger then too! Hey, what your name?"

" Oh, I'm Katrina, but everyone just calls me Kat."

" Kat?"

" Yep!"

" That's such a silly name!" Andrei burst out laughing.

" Oh hardy-har-har! It's not funnier than Andrei!" Kat said defensively.

" Yes it is!" the youngster got out, gasping for air, only to start snickering again the minute he saw Kat's annoyed face.

" Oh hey look! We're here!" Kat called out as she saw the tall buildings of Viridian City come into view.

" Oh yea! Hey, I'l race ya to the gate?" Andrei challenged.

" You're on,", Kat accepted, " Ready, set-"

" Go!" Andrei finished.

" Hey! That's cheating!" Kat complained, racing after the younger child, who had gained a substantial lead in the short amount of time.

" Char? Charmander!" Ferno yelped, rushing to catch up with the two trainers.

* * *

" What do you think?" a female voice asked from within a pine tree located close to the road asked, once both trainers and Pokemon were safely out of earshot.

" It definitely shows potential, but I'm not sold yet,", a male voice answered.

" Let's watch her a little longer before we do anything. If there's one thing our masters taught us, it's that waiting goes a long way,", the female voice answered.

" Agreed."

And the pine tree lapsed into silence once more.

* * *

" Well I better head home now, it was nice meeting you, Kat,", Andrei said, snickering on the last word before he waved and departed, heading off down a side street.

" Bye Andrei!" Kat called after him.

It was then that Ferno came rushing up the road and crashed into the back of Kat's legs. The collision threw the young Pokemon backwards, but simply, in her case, alerted Kat to his presence.

" Oh Ferno! I can't believe I forgot to recall you!"

" Char!" Ferno squeaked, trying, unsuccessfully, to communicate that the current arrangements were fine with him.

" Here buddy, back in your Pokeball. You can get back out once we turn in at the Pokemon Center for the night.

" Charmander!" was the last complaint Ferno got out before the red light enveloped him and returned him to the snug interior of the Pokeball.

" Now, it's pretty obvious the Pokemon Center is this way,", Kat said, seeing a large, red-roofed building with a giant, illuminated P.C. sign above a red cross. Quickly, she made her way along the paved street, which was surprisingly deserted, towards the center.

The closer she got, the more amazed she was with the sheer size of the place, and she couldn't help but look up like a gawking tourist at the building, which was at least three times the height of Professor Oak's lab. Unfortunately, this meant that when she went to step through the automatic doors, she didn't notice Gary until they actually collided.

" Oh, hey Kit-Kat, fancy running into you here,", the red-haired boy said.

" Ugh, could you spare me the puns, at least today?" Kat complained as she brushed herself off and stood up.

" Well that's a warm welcome,", Gary said coldly.

" I'm sorry, but it doesn't feel like that long, since we just saw each other this morning,", Kat defended herself.

" Yea, I guess you're right. Hey, I was just about to hit the town and see if they had anywhere good to eat, wanna come with?" he asked.

" Umm, sure, just let me go drop my Pokemon off and I'll be right out."

" I'll be waiting."

With that, Kat entered the Pokemon Center, and was even more impressed by its scale on the inside than the outside. Especially the number of trainers she counted, who ranged anywhere from those that were obviously new trainers like herself, to people who looked ready to take on the Pokemon League. The camaraderie impressed her too, as she saw all of these people mingling together.

" Can I help you?" a sweet, tinkling voice said, drawing her out of her thoughts.

She looked up to see someone who unmistakeably matched the description of a Nurse Joy, from outfit, to the style of reddish hair.

" Umm, I think so, Nurse Joy, right?" Kat asked.

" That's right! Viridian City's Joy to be exact!"

" You can take care of my Pokemon right? To heal him a bit I mean?"

" Why yes that is out specialty,", Nurse Joy replied.

" Could you take care Ferno then? He's a Charmander."

" Why yes of course! Just hand him to me!" Nurse Joy said, extending her open right hand, into which Kat placed Ferno's Pokeball. " I take it you'll be needing a room then?"

" Umm... Yea, when I get back, I'm going out to dinner with a friend, how much do they cost?"

" Oh! Well for Pokemon Trainers they'r absolutely free!"

" Oh wow! That's really nice of you!"

" Think nothing of it! It's only Pokemon Center policy,", Joy told her. " Your friend already has a room though, so if-"

" Oh no! We're not _that_ kind of friends!" Kat clarified.

" Oh my! I apologize then! I simply assumed-", Nurse Joy started to apologize.

" It's okay, we get that a lot,", Kat responded, laughing somewhat uneasily.

" Well, your Charmander will be waiting for you in room 116 when you get back!"

" Thank you again Nurse Joy!" Kat said as she turned to leave.

" Be careful out there, even nice cities like Viridian can be pretty dangerous at night!"

" We will!" Kat called as she walked out the door.

" Ready to go?" Gary inquired.

" As always,", Kat replied cheerfully, and the two set off into Viridian, which was really the first major city either of them had been in.

" So, what're you hungry for?" the friendlier of Kat's two rivals asked her.

" I'm not sure,", Kat said as her stomach growled audibly, " But right now, I think I could just about eat a Magikarp."

" That's probably not the best idea in the world though."

" No really?"

" Hey, I'm just saying, but that does sound good though."

" Magikarp?"

" No! Fish, as in sushi!"

" Wait... I say Magikarp, you say that sounds good, and you expect me to immediately make the jump to sushi?"

" Huh, maybe I do give you too much credit after all Kit-Kat."

" And just what is that supposed to mean? And for the millionth time! Stop calling me Kit-Kat!"

" Fine, fine. Hey, what about that place?" Gary asked, pointing towards a restaurant, which proudly declared it served sushi in large neon letters.

" If lines are any indication of what's good, that place must be great,", Kat commented, frowning as she gazed at the long line of people waiting outside the business.

" We have time,", Gary said, " Besides, I'm sure they'll turn tables quickly enough."

" Alright,", Kat conceited, mainly because she didn't feel like walking too much further, " But if we get in there, and it's not good, I'll make you pay for everything."

" Relax Kit-Kat, it's on me anyway."

" Wow... Really?" Kat asked, shocked at Gary's offer.

" Yes, of course."

" You know what Gary Oak, I just may make a gentlemen out of you yet. Now let's eat!"

" Sounds like a plan,", the ginger said as the pair took their place in line.

" Now just one more thing,", Kat added.

" And what's that?"

" Stop calling me Kit-Kat!" Kat screeched, and neither of them could help but laugh, especially when some of the people standing in front of them turned around to look at them, and, like it does, the fact it was an inside joke of sorts only made them laugh harder.

* * *

Had Katrina been looking across the street, instead of engrossed in a conversation with Gary about their first day out from Pallet Town, she might have noticed a certain pair of green eyes, the color of sunlight shining through leaves on a bight summer day, staring at her, the fires of hatred burning within them.

" Just you wait Katrina Inman! I'll make you pay! I promised I'd send you running home crying, and that's a promise I don't intend to break!" Alyssa whispered violently, before turning on her heels, hair and coat whipping behind her, and walk with quick, purpose-filled strides back towards the Pokemon Center.

* * *

By the time Gary and Kat returned to the Pokemon Center, night was fully upon. The sky bore no more traces of orange-streaked gold, indicating sunset. By then it was an aptly named midnight blue, and the silverly light of a waxing moon shone down upon the city, having very little effect though amidst the glowing, fluorescent signs and the street lights that shed their illumination on the blocks below.

The lobby was deserted when they entered it, save for a few stragglers, mainly long time friends, who continued to talk amongst themselves. When she asked, Gary told Kat that room 116 was on the second floor, adjacent to his room specifically, which was 114. At first, Kat rolled her eyes, thinking that Nurse Joy simply wouldn't accept that they were just friends, but as they rode the elevator up, it occurred to her that it only made sense, since she'd checked in right after him, and had to wonder if _her_ thoughts weren't more concerned with her relationship with Gary than the nurse's. In the end though, she was too tired to really care, especially about what the Viridian City Nurse Joy's opinion on her relationship may or may not have been, and so she bid Gary goodnight and stepped into her room.

The space certainly wasn't large, but it wasn't small either, although it felt that was since two double beds had beed crammed into the space, with a side table in between them. On one of the beds, she saw, Ferno sleeping, curled up with his tail wrapped around him, the flame creative a soft illumination, and his empty Pokeball on the table. Being as quiet as possible, she slipped out of her clothes and changed into the pajamas she'd brought, relishing in the soft feeling of the material. She was at first going to leave her discarded garments on the floor, but then saw a small laundry chute with a sign in front of it explaining that any trainers who wanted to have their clothes washed for the next day, could put in a small canvas bag, tied to the chute, send it down, and expect to have them clean and ready outside the door in the morning. Marveling at just how many amenities the Pokemon Center offered, Kat took them up on the offer, and placed her clothes in the bag, only remembering to remove her Pokedex and unused Pokeballs a split second before she sent them down the chute. Placing the items on the table, she crawled into the bed Ferno didn't occupy, and felt a twinge of homesickness that it wasn't her bed. This was quickly alleviated though as thoughts of her exciting travels to come filled her head. Her last thought being that tomorrow, she was ready to get this show on the road.


End file.
